


Take it for the home team

by lanyon



Series: Bad Boy Boogie [2]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, Homophobia, M/M, mentions of suicide (offscreen), not a cheerful fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 06:29:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5323988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lanyon/pseuds/lanyon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parse leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Didn’t anyone tell you, kid? I’m always a complete asshole.”</p><p>♠</p><p>(Please heed the tags and warnings)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take it for the home team

**Author's Note:**

> + **Warnings** for a number of instances of homophobia, as well as offscreen suicide of an original and very peripheral character, coming out and Kent Parson being an asshole.  
>  +The tone of this is certainly different to what's come before but the only way is up, after this. A warning again that this is pretty miserable so if you are keeping up with this series, don't feel obliged to read this one. Hopefully the remaining stories will make sense, regardless.  
> +This was partly written to explore the idea of a less-than-famous hockey player coming out.  
> +Massive thanks to Sarah for the support.  
> +Title from Imagine Dragons.

“What the hell is wrong with you? _Christ_ , why aren’t you wearing gloves?”

Kent vaults over the the wall, onto the ice. Charbo is shooting pucks on the empty goal, like he’s possessed. Everyone else left the ice about an hour ago and everyone else noticed that Charbo’s been a little bit off today. Off enough that Wallace made him do suicides and Charbo flinched so badly before getting stuck in.

“Fuck’s sake, what’s going on?”

Charbo’s ignoring him and Kent isn’t used to being ignored. He doesn’t like it either.

“ _Kid_ ,” he says, sharply. 

Charbo finally raises his head and his eyes are red-rimmed and his face is pale, with bright red splotches high on his cheeks, and his hair is sweaty and damp and hanging over his eyes.

“Are you sick?” asks Kent. It’s not unreasonable. Beastly’s been off for two days because one or all of his rugrats have had some kind of infant virus that lays low toddlers and six foot eight D-men.

Charbo shakes his head. “No,” he says, almost too quietly to be heard. “No. Just. Got some bad news from home.”

“Ah, shit,” says Kent. “Family?”

“Family friend. Younger brother of a schoolfriend killed himself last week. He was only fifteen. He was gonna play in the NHL, for sure. He was so good.” 

Charbo’s shaking a little; Kent can see that now he’s close. Kent’s no stranger to the effect of hockey on the unwary. He knows hockey has brought out the worst in him and everyone around him. He shivers too, just a little, like someone’s walked on his grave. 

“Ah, fuck. The pressure--” Kent starts. He makes an abortive attempt to reach for Charbo, which is a weird instinct. Kent’s kind of held himself apart from a lot of his teammates over the past few years, except for the ones who’ve wormed under his skin, like Jeff and Barty and Bash. 

Charbo’s shaking his head again, violently. Sweat droplets fly from his hair. “No, it wasn’t -- _Jesus_ , it wasn’t the hockey. He was _gay_ and his teammates found out and I guess he didn’t want to set foot on the ice again.”

“Shit,” breathes Kent, and his heart is beating faster now and he pretends not to know why. Kent Parson has never been ashamed of being who he is, or how he is, but there’s a pretty big reason he’s kept his sexuality cards close to his chest (no mean feat in Las Vegas). “Fuck it,” he says, finally, and he tugs Charbo against him and it’s a bit weird, being shorter than Charbo, who just clings onto Kent’s shirt like he’s unsure whether to fight him or —

♠

Gabriel’s not going to regret this. He refuses to regret this. His agent tried to talk him out of it and his mother and his sister cried but the Aces management have been surprisingly supportive. Sometimes, Gabriel thinks it’s because it’s such a new franchise, it doesn’t have the weight of legacy hanging over it, or maybe it's to distract from the fact that, until this year, even with Kent Parson as captain, they haven't had successful post-seasons. 

Gabriel Charbonneau comes out and he is not going to regret this.

♠

_While Gabriel Charbonneau may not have the shortest rookie career in the NHL, it may be drawing to a close, replete with drama. Called up after Bogdan Zarubin’s third serious concussion in as many seasons, Charbonneau has already had an impact on the Aces’ fourth line and has been effective on the power play in combination with Aces’ captain, Kent Parson, and centre, Jeff Forrester. Despite being short for an NHL player, Charbonneau is also known to get involved in fights on the ice and not come off the worse._

_This might be a struggle to far for the youngster, though. This afternoon, at a press conference at the Aces’ home, the Battledrome, Charbonneau came out as gay._

_This unusual and unprecedented move, says Charbonneau, was motivated by the recent suicide of a Montreal-based junior hockey player, who was bullied off and on the ice for his alleged homosexuality._

_“When I think of what Simon [Lascaux] went through and what so many junior hockey players, and maybe even senior players, go through, I felt I had to say something. I’m not embarrassed about who I am.”_

_When asked what impact this might have on his career, Charbonneau had this to add. “Hopefully, no impact at all but if my career ends tomorrow, this is the one thing I won’t regret.”_

_It must be hoped that this young man does not lack the strength of his convictions because if this becomes too much of an off-ice distraction, he may find himself back with the Nevada Desert Foxes before he knows it._

♠

“What do you think about Charbo, man?”

Barty shrugs. His feet are up on Kent’s pristine coffee table but at least he’s taken his shoes off. “Not my type.”

“Funny,” says Kent. “No, I mean. His whole --” He gestures awkwardly.

“I think he is brave boy,” says Bart. “But maybe no one will care. He is only rookie. Easily ignored. Easily sent down to Foxes, no?”

“They’d hardly send him back for being gay, would they?” asks Kent and he’s surprised at how appalled he feels at the idea. “We need him.”

“Would be not bad if captain told him that, no?”

Kent looks at Barty and wonders what Barty knows, or what Barty thinks he knows, but he’s damned inscrutable as he raises a bottle of IPA to his lips. “You need to buy better beer, Parson.”

 

♠

Of course, Kent gets it badly wrong. He’s captain. He has one job. He doesn’t fuck up in front of the media, at least. He gives the rote answers about how the locker room dynamic hasn’t changed and won’t change. He says that You Can Play is an important campaign. He says that Charbo is an asset and that he hopes his playing career with the Aces is long and successful.

And then he fucks it up by telling Charbo that he wishes he hadn’t done that. That it’s bringing the wrong kind of scrutiny on the Aces, who aren't established enough to deal with this kind of attention. 

Kent gets a look at Charbo’s expression, and how he just shuts down and nods jerkily and says it won’t happen again.

And, in an unprecedented level of insight, Kent feels like the biggest hypocrite in the league.

Barty gives him a long look and Bash shakes his head and puts his hand on Charbo’s shoulder and says, “C’mon, kid. Agata’s threatening me with the couch if I don’t bring you home for dinner soon.”

Kent watches as Bash guides Charbo out of the locker room and it’s a long time before he can look at Barty.

“Dick move, Parse,” says Jeff, as he passes. He waits at the door and then turns and glares. “Well, you coming, you dumb fuck?” 

Kent feels a bit shaky when he stands up. “I don’t know why I said that,” he says, dragging his hand down his face.

He does. He knows. It’s because someone said it to him, even before he was a rookie. It’s because —

♠

 **gabriel charbonneau** @gcharb69 • 1m  
thank you for all your support ♠ #forsimon #icanplay #youcanplay

♠

Kent should apologise. He knows he should, before the rift in the locker room turns into something the beat reporters notice. 

Everyone is playing exceptionally well, though, and Kent’s not sure if it’s because of Charbo and to spite the media and the opposition fans who show up with placards and chant homophobic shit. 

The Aeros are the worst, when they come to Las Vegas. Right from the puck drop, there are chirps and shoves and their captain, Priestley, is the ringleader. He’s big and mean at the best of times and now he's got ammunition. 

The Aces get a power play and Kent and Priestley are facing off and Priestley makes a comment about fags and Kent sees red. 

Kent is not a fighter. He has teammates for that kind of thing but he swings at Priestley and the fight is over embarrassingly fast, with Kent on the flat of his back, snarling up at Priestley. “This how you want me, you bastard?”

Priestley, because he’s a dumb fuck who says homophobic shit in front of on-ice officials, is gonna get in serious trouble after the game but Kent still stews for his five minutes and longer. During the second interval, Charbo catches his eye and he’s got this weird expression that Kent can’t quite parse. (It happens.)

Kent gets it, though, when Charbo’s on the ice at the same time as Priestley. The Aces are two goals up with three minutes to go in the third and Priestley’s been uncharacteristically quiet until Charbo sends him into the boards; it’s well-timed and utterly devious. Charbo’s skating to the box almost before the referee sends him there. He looks up at the crowd and shrugs ( _my bad_ ) and Kent gets a bit choked up at the roar of approval Charbo gets from the home crowd. 

There’s blood on the ice and it doesn’t belong to the Aces. 

♠

_Houston Aeros Captain, Devon Priestley, is suspended for four games and fined $40,000. In addition, in a statement issued through his agent, Priestley has pledged to donate the same amount to a Houston-based charity for LGBT youths._

♠

Kent tries calling Jack. He got Jack’s most recent number from Jack’s mom who’s never blamed Kent, even when Kent blamed himself. 

_So_ , he thinks he’ll say. _I fucked up, again. But, hey, I think it’s okay. No one died. Well, aside from that poor kid. I told our rookie that he shouldn’t have come out because it distracts from the hockey. I wonder where I got that outlook from, huh?_

No, no. He’ll say, _Call me, Jack, please. I could use your advice because I’m a dick._

No, no. He’ll say, _I can’t stop fucking up when it comes to Canadians. Is there a production line in Montreal, of hockey players who bring out the fucking worst in me?_

In the end, he doesn’t leave a message. He doesn’t text. 

In the end, he posts a video of Kit Purrson meowing at a bird out on the terrace and tags it _first world kitty problems_.

Someone in the comments points out that it’s a mourning dove.

♠

Gabriel still isn’t particularly comfortable around Parse. All of the other guys have either been outright supportive or quiet, but not hostile. They all fuck up, from time to time, with gay jokes that aren’t jokes, and they’re all painfully aware when they do it and look at Gabriel fearfully. 

Gabriel thinks it’ll get better but he spends a lot of time on the phone to his mother and to Aurelie who keep telling him how proud they are of him. 

“We’ll see you later,” Aurelie says. “Mom is so proud that she gets to wear a Charbonneau shirt that it’s kind of embarrassing but please try not to get into any fights against the Habs, yeah? What _would_ the neighbours think? We’d have to move. The shame of it all.”

Gabriel’s laughing a bit more these days. 

It’s been three weeks since he came out.

It’s been four weeks since Simon Lascaux died.

Gabriel is alive and kicking, and he plays in the NHL, and he happens to be gay, and maybe it would have had more impact if he’d been a big name or played for one of the Original Six but he is who he is. 

♠

“ _Shit_. Beastly’s home with that stomach flu thing again, right? And Charbo’s supposed to share with Bash but Bash says he’s feeling queasy and there are no other rooms in this whole hotel.”

Kent looks between Jeff and Charbo and Charbo looks away. “Look, I’m sure Milly will find a room somewhere. I mean, I could always stay at my mom’s.”

“No,” says Kent. “We gotta stay here. It’s the rules.” The kicker is, it’s genuinely the rules; the team has to be housed in the same hotel. “Is Bash okay?”

“He looked greener than a Dallas Star,” says Charbo. He rubs his upper arms uncomfortably. 

“Look, they gave me a big room. It’s got two beds,” says Kent. He’s not sure how this could be any more awkward.

“Yes,” says Jeff, with obvious relief. “See, Charbo? You don’t have to sleep in Barty’s and my bath after all.” 

“You could stay with Parse,” says Charbo and Kent tries not to feel hurt by this. He gets why Charbo probably doesn’t trust him too much.

“And fuck up Barty’s routine? Fuck, no. He’d have an actual fucking canary. He won’t even let us get connecting rooms because it fucks up the tai chi or something.”

Kent and Charbo stare at him. 

“Feng shui,” says Charbo, flatly.

“Right, that.” 

“Look, I’m fine with it, if Charbo is,” says Kent. 

Charbo shrugs. “Yeah, okay.” 

♠

Gabriel calls his mom. She talks him down in the way that Aurelie can’t.

Parse opens the door when Gabriel knocks on it. He looks tired and he’s not wearing that stupid hat for once. His hair is, like, vertical and Gabriel can only guess he’s been running his hands through it. 

“So, my mom has a pretty sick sense of humour,” says Gabriel, when he sits on the unoccupied bed, nearer the door. “She always tells people that my dad died in a freak Zamboni accident.”

Parse blinks. “He … didn’t?”

“Nope. The bastard is still alive somewhere in Manitoba, with a whole other family. He left when I was four and Aurelie was six. So, you know. This —” Gabriel gestures to encompass Parse and himself and everything. “This doesn’t even register. There are worse things than being gay, you know.”

Parse’s expression changes and before Gabriel quite realises what’s going on, Parse is lying flat out on his own bed and hiccuping with laughter. Gabriel stares at him in horror until, eventually, Parse sits up again, laughter subsiding even though his eyes are red and there are tear tracks on his face. 

“Oh, shit, kid. I’m not laughing at you, I swear. It’s just —” Parse hiccups again. “It’s just I wish I’d had your courage when I was a rookie. Shit, I wish I had it now but I stuck to all the wrong guns.” 

“Wait, so you’re —”

Parse nods. 

Gabriel shakes his head. “But — you’ve been a complete _asshole_ about this whole thing.”

Parse leans forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Didn’t anyone tell you, kid? I’m always a complete asshole.” 

“Yeah, actually, quite a few people told me.” Parse looks a bit surprised. Gabriel sits up and leans forward too, and it’s like a face-off or a blinking contest and he’s not fucking going to look away. “But, _Captain_ , that’s something you can change.”

♠

(Kent’s not really sure he can change.)

♠

_Hey, Zimms. It’s Parse. It’s Kent. I’d really like to talk to you, buddy. Hope college is, uh, going okay. I. Well. I miss you, buddy. Call me, please._

Kent's phone pings and it's a text but it's not from Jack. Maybe he's studying or practising or doing whatever it is college guys do. The text is from Charbo. _I never thanked you for fighting Priestley in the Aeros game_. Another text arrives almost immediately. _Trying to fight him, I mean._ And another text. _I can teach you how to throw a punch, if you like._

One of these days, Kent's going to laugh without crying.

**Author's Note:**

> +To come: Kent Parson/happiness. I promise.


End file.
